Abstract
Developmental changes in the levels of the excitatory amino acids l-glutamate (Glu) and l-Aspartate (Asp) and inhibitory amino acids glycine (Gly) and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), as well as taurine and its related amino acids l-methionine (Met), l-cysteine (Cys) and l-serine (Ser) in the brain and pectoralis muscle at various embryonic stages and hatch in broiler and layer type chickens were determined. Brain concentrations of Asp, GABA and taurine were higher than those in the muscle, but the difference in the two types was small. The concentrations of the precursors of taurine including Met, Cys and Ser were lower than that of taurine. In conclusion, the synthesis of some amino acids and their metabolites such as Asp, GABA and taurine in the chick embryo is very high in order to support brain development.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahman AK, Wågberg F, Mattsson MO (1996) Two glutamate decarboxylase forms corresponding to the mammalian GAD65 and GAD67 are expressed during development of the chick telencephalon. Eur J Neurosci 8:2111–2117
Al-Murrani WK (1982) Effect of injecting amino acids into the egg on embryonic and subsequent growth in the domestic fowl. Br Poult Sci 23:171–174
Ben-Ari Y, Cherubini E, Corradetti R, Gaiarsa JL (1989) Giant synaptic potentials in immature rat CA3 hippocampal neurons. J Physiol 416:303–325
Chen XC, Pan ZL, Liu DS, Han X (1998) Effect of taurine on human fetal neuron cells: proliferation and differentiation. Adv Exp Med Biol 442:397–403
Ensunsa JL, Hirschberger LL, Stipanuk MH (1993) Catabolism of cysteine, cystine, cysteinesulfinate and OTC by isolated perfused rat hindquarter. Am J Physiol 264:782–789
Flint AC, Liu X, Kriegstein AR (1998) Nonsynaptic glycine receptor activation during early neocortical development. Neuron 20:43–53
Furuya S, Tabata T, Mitoma J, Yamada K, Yamasaki M, Makino A, Yamamoto T, Watanabe M, Kano M, Hirabayashi Y (2000) l-serine and glycine serve as major astroglia-derived trophic factors for cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:11528–11533
Hu JM, Rho JY, Suzuki M, Nishihara M, Takahashi M (2000) Effect of taurine in rat milk on the growth of offspring. J Vet Med Sci 62:693–698
Huxtable RJ (1992) Physiological actions of taurine. Physiol Rev 72:101–163
Huxtable RJ, Lippincott SE (1983) Relative contribution of the mother, the nurse and endogenous synthesis to the taurine content of the newborn and suckling rat. Ann Nutr Metab 27:107–116
Kim HW, Yoon SH, Park T, Kim BK, Park KK, Lee DH (2006) Gene expressions of taurine transporter and taurine biosynthetic enzyme during mouse and chicken embryonic development. Adv Exp Med Biol 583:69–77
Koning TJD, Klomp LWJ, Oppen ACCV, Beemer PFA, Dorland L, Berg IETVD, Berger PR (2004) Prenatal and early postnatal treatment in 3-phosphoglycerate-dehydrogenase deficiency. Lancet 364:2221–2222
Lundgren P, Mattsson MO, Johansson L, Ottersen OP, Sellström A (1995) Morphological and GABA-immunoreactive development of the embryonic chick telencephalon. Int J Dev Neurosci 13:463–472
Mrsny RJ, Waxman L, Meizel S (1979) Taurine maintains and stimulates motility of hamster sperm during capacitation in vitro. J Exp Zool 201:123–128
Muramatsu T, Hiramoto K, Okumura J (1990a) Strain differences in whole-body protein turnover in the chicken embryo. Br Poult Sci 31:91–99
Muramatsu T, Hiramoto K, Konishi N, Okumura J, Miyoshi S, Mitsumoto T (1990b) Importance of albumen content in whole-body protein synthesis of the chicken embryo during incubation. Br Poult Sci 30:239–249
Ohta Y, Tsushima N, Koide K, Kidd MT, Ishibashi T (1999) Effect of amino acid injection in broiler breeder eggs on embryonic growth and hatchability of chicks. Poult Sci 78:1493–1498
Ohta Y, Yoshida T, Tsushima N (2004) Comparison between broilers and layers for growth and protein use by embryos. Poult Sci 83:783–787
Palackal T, Moretz R, Wisniewski H, Sturman J. (1986) Abnormal visual cortex development in the kitten associated with maternal dietary taurine deprivation. J Neurosci Res 15:223–239
Pasantes-Morales H, Lopez-Colome AM, Salceda R, Mandel P (1976) Cysteine sulphinate decarboxylase in chick and rat retina during development. J Neurochem 27:1103–1106
Read WO, Welty JD (1963) Effect of taurine on epinephrine and digoxin-induced irregularities of dog heart. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 139:283–289
Represa A, Ben-Ari Y (2005) Trophic actions of GABA on neuronal development. Trends Neurosci 28:278–283
Sato M, Tachibana T, Furuse M (2006) Heat production and lipid metabolism in broiler and layer chickens during embryonic development. Comp Biochem Physiol A 143:382–388
Schmieden V, Betz H (1995) Pharmacology of the inhibitory glycine receptor: agonist and antagonist actions of amino acids and piperidine carboxylic acid compounds. Mol Pharmacol 48:919–927
Sharma R, Kodavanti UP, Smith LL, Mehendale HM (1995) The uptake and metabolism of cystamine and taurine by isolated perfused rat and rabbit lungs. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 27:655–664
Stipanuk MH (1986) Metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids. Annu Rev Nutr 6:179–209
Timbrell JA, Seabra V, Waterfield CL (1995) The in vivo and in vitro protective properties of taurine. Gen Pharmacol 26:453–462
Tomonaga S, Kaji Y, Tachibana T, Denbow DM, Furuse M (2005) Oral administration of β-alanine modifies carnosine concentrations in the muscles and brains of chickens. Anim Sci J 76:249–254
Turner O, Phoenix J, Wray S (1994) Developmental and gestational changes of phosphoethanolamine and taurine in rat brain, striated and smooth muscle. Exp Physiol 79:681–689
Vessey DA (1978) The biochemical basis for the conjugation of bile acids with either glycine or taurine. Biochem J 174:621–626
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 18208023). This work was supported by a Research Fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists (No. 19-8676).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sato, M., Tomonaga, S., Denbow, D.M. et al. Changes in free amino acids in the brain during embryonic development in layer and broiler chickens. Amino Acids 36, 303–308 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-008-0068-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-008-0068-z